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Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard Review

David Mccomb

21 Nov 2005 10:24Last updated: 9 Oct 2015 17:47

Release date1 Nov 2005

DeveloperLiquid Entertainment

RPG meets RTS in this D&D adaptation

★★★★★

With a cheesy airbrushed cover featuring Dragons, Orcs and the obligatory cowled sorcerer  like a Dio album sleeve circa 1985  Dragonshard looks like something only a Dungeons & Dragons fanboy could love. Delve a little deeper, though, and youll discover an adventure that will delight real-time strategy and role-playing fans alike.

Roughly spilt into two worlds  one on the surface of war-torn land Eberron, the other in twisting, claustrophobic dungeons deep underground  Dragonshard mixes RTS and RPG elements like no other game; on the upper world, players can create huge armies to defeat hoards of mythical enemies, while in the subterranean catacombs you lead parties on precarious dungeon crawls, battling magical beasts and malignant spirits to steal their gold and magic.

Crucially, though, while using two styles of gameplay is often a recipe for disaster, Dragonshard blends both genres into an epic whole, with players collecting gold and earning experience points to max-out their heroes underground, while on the surface using their ill-gotten gains to buy military units and thrusting their beefed-up bruisers into battle.